Almandine - Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃

Habit: Deep red, brownish red or red violet; rarely black. Typically well-formed dodecahedra or trapezohedra; also in rounded grains or massive. Vitreous to resinous luster; transparent to translucent. White streak.

Environment: The most common garnet, found in contact and regional metamorphic rocks. Occurs in both granites and eclogites and sedimentary rocks, as a detrital mineral and rarely as inclusions in diamonds.

Etymology: From the ancient city of Alabanda (now Araphisar), Turkey, where garnets were cut and polished for hundreds of years.